Simploring 2017 (78) A Metropolis in Second Life

05 Oct 2017 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , ,

I went on a simploring tour today and selected to visit a metroplois that is stretched over 3 full sims. There’s a very detailed description in Inara Peys’s blog “Taking a drift through Tokyo in Second Life“. I started my visit at “Morpire City“, which is in the middle of the 3 sims “Morpire City“, “Mitsumi–Town in Tokyo” and “SSOC“. It takes some time to rezz and to load all the textures, at least it did for me. You land in the heart of a really big city, roads and transport systems block your view when you’re on the ground level. The 3 sims are embedded in a sim surround that provides more skyscrapers.

Visiting a Metropolis in Second Life – Views on Morpire City, Mitsumi-Town in Tokyo and SSOC

I began exploring and walked around. You can enter the skyscrapers and discover the inside. There are many bars and cantines and restaurants as you would expect it in a working environment. I was impressed seeing floors of desks and offices like in RL. It is like walking through a design metropolis, as there’re just a few cars and trucks on the streets, there’s no dirt or garbage and most important there’re not thousands of people. The metroplois is sleeping, ready to be taken by the masses.

Visiting a Metropolis in Second Life – Inside views of Morpire City, Mitsumi-Town in Tokyo and SSOC

There are also some nice little corners of quietness, places where you can catch your breath and relax in the middle of this mega city. “SSOC” is the headquarter of the company selling gear for combat games within Second Life (as far as I understood, as I’m not at all into it) and “Mitsumi–Town in Tokyo” is the headquarter of R2 Fashion. There might be more business coming into this city.

Visiting a Metropolis in Second Life – Modern offices at Morpire City, Mitsumi-Town in Tokyo and SSOC

I just peeked in, there’s much more to explore. But I got an impression. Thank you Eripom Moonwall, for providing these 3 sims for us. They are outstanding!

Visiting a Metropolis in Second Life – Cantines, bars and restaurants at Morpire City, Mitsumi-Town in Tokyo and SSOC

Inara Peys blog post “Taking a drift through Tokyo in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/09/27/taking-a-drift-through-tokyo-in-second-life/
Landmark to Morpire City
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mopire/189/142/1106
Landmark to Mitsumi-Town in Tokyo
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/R2%20Fashion/76/34/1106
Landmark to SSOC
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SSOC/192/251/1102

Simploring 2017 (77) 5 years of Fractals

25 Sep 2017 2 Comments

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , ,

When I read Inara Pey’s blog entry “Five Years of Fractals in Second Life” I remembered my visit to the installation “No Frontiers” by Gem Preiz at LEA in July (read here).
“5 years of Fractals” is an exhibition at the R&D Art Gallery that covers Gem Preiz’ artistical work of the last 5 years.

You can grab an information about Gem Preiz at the entrance of the exhibition and it is helpful for understanding what you see. Gem Preiz “is educated in science and mathematics and is fond of anything related to Nature, Cosmos and Earth, from astronomy to geology. The world of fractals is, in the same way, ruled by Mathematics functions which, as Physics do in Nature, enable to create objects which features repeat themselves at every scale.” In the notecard you’ll find a list of Gem’s work in Second Life and wihtin the LEA program – a long list btw.

The exhibtion is just great. It shows what you can do using fractals, be it related to nature or to Science Fiction, or be it simply fantasy. You will be captured in these pictures as you can discover so much. Many frames are slideshows presenting not just one picture but series of pictures. This way when you stand in one room of the exhibtion you can really dive into this world of fractals. It is amazing. There are links to youtube videos, that were taken at Gem’s former installations. I recommend watching them while you visit the exhibtion. It might change your view on the presented art as the videos add a third dimension and Gem selected fitting music.

The exhibition “5 years of Fractals” at the R&D Art Gallery is quite large and although I spent more than one hour there, I haven’t seen it all. Thank you very much, Gem. I had a nice time-out visiting your exhibtion.

I also looked up Gem Preiz’ profile and he found a nice way to interpret his Second Life name Gem:
“Gem like Gemini, which means twin: I feel so mach better when I’m together with my twin – Gem like Gemstome: I have a passion for minerals”
For sure Gem Preiz’ art is a gem of Second Life.
I also like what he states about his Real Life as it fits perfect to his art: “I spend more than half of my life dreaming of another life”

The R&D Art Gallery is at a sim with the name Diotima. The name Diotima means Zeus Honor, either in the active sense of a woman who honors Zeus, or in the passive sense of a woman honored by Zeus (source: wikipedia). On a sidenote: when I selected my name for Second Life I didn’t remember this name correctly and choose Diomita instead – funny coincidence.

Landmark to R&D Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gigli%20Waves/146/198/34
Inara pey’s blog entry “Five Years of Fractals in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/09/15/five-years-of-fractals-in-second-life/

Simploring 2017 (75) ~Neive~

17 Sep 2017 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , ,

Once again I followed Inara’s simploring “Visiting ~Neive~ in Second Life“. “~Neive~” is a homestead sim owned by Claudia (claudia74a Orsini). Upon landing you can get a notecard with a nice description of what you will see:
“Welcome to Neive! Neive was first created in 2016 and is now back. As before it is designed with photography, romance and friends in mind. Neive is an adult sim but discretion is expected and harassment will not be tolerated.”

First impressions of ~Neive~ (upper left is Neive, Italy)

“~Neive~” consists of several small islands that are connected to each other and form a circle so that there’s kind of a lagune in the middle of them. The islands have a clear Mediterrean character, be it little villages or farms. I looked up Neive at wikipedia and found out that Neive is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Turin and about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Cuneo. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neive) I have no idea if “~Neive~” in Second Life has any similarities with Neive in the physical world. At least from the picture I found in the net, there’s none but the name. Nonetheless “~Neive~” in Second Life could be somewhere in Italy.

At ~Neive~ beach

Exploring “~Neive~” was very enjoyable. The Mediterream atmosphere did capture me. Everything looks peaceful and relaxed. “~Neive~” offers a lot of places to take pictures be it of single farms or buildings, be it villages or ruins, be it at the lovely large beach or from the balloon that is floating in the center of the islands. I found really dozens of spots to sit and cuddle or to talk. Again the pictures I took speak for themselves.

Impressions of ~Neive~

Diomita relaxing at peaceful ~Neive~

As I do often, I recommend to read Inara’s blog post for a more detailed description – or just explore yourself. “~Neive~” is just beautiful, eclectic and a place to enjoy. Thank you Claudia for providing it to us all!

Inara Pey’s blog “Visiting ~Neive~ in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/09/08/visiting-neive-in-second-life/
Landmark to ~Neive~
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vibrant%20Eden/194/150/26

Simploring 2017 (72) Fairy Tale by Cica Ghost

09 Sep 2017 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

My simploring tour Saturday, September 2nd, led me to “Fairy Tale” by Cica Ghost  . I became aware of it by Inara Pey’s blog entry “Cica’s Fairy Tale in Second Life” .

If you’re interested in art within Second Life, it is very likely that you’ll come across Cica Ghost. She has had many art installations and sigle pieces of her can be found in several other sims which deal with art. Cica Ghost is an artist from Serbia and in Second Life since 2010. Cica Ghost runs a little shop where you can buy some of her art. Her list of exhibitions and installations is quite long. You can grab one at the landing point at “Fairy Tale“. I myself visited some of the sims, that she has created and I wrote bout them: Cica’s Library, Frogs, Keys, Ruins.

September 3rd: Impressions of “Fairy Tale” by Cica Ghost (1)

“Fairy Tale” is once again different. It is build on a rocky and hilly island. Many towers, build of separate large flat stones, rise up very high. The vagetation is meagre and and look like in winter, there’s no single leaf. In the middle of the island are two dragons that seem to supervise the island. On one bigger rock at one side of the island is a single one room shed. And there’s a fence around the shed and a littel garden with some flowers (and colours as opposed to the rest of the island). Some cats and one woman live their lonely life there.

September 3rd: Impressions of “Fairy Tale” by Cica Ghost (2)

The landmark description is a quote of C. S. Lewis, a british novelist and poet: “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
Like Cica’s other installations there’re plenty of possible interpretations and she avoids giving any direction. I personally can’t really get the quote into a reasonable relation to the sim “Fairy Tale“. Just the single house with the garden and it’s strange inhabitant with the cats build a sharp contrast to the rest of the island with it’s stone towers and the two dragons. Overall the atmosphere is cold but it’s not hostile, and the dragons seem to be peaceful (to me). I found a dancing animation on one rock and tried it out, as well as a sitting pose just next to one of the dragons. What reminds me of a fairy tale is that the whole installation seems to be like dream, as not everything makes sense in a dream.

September 3rd: Impressions of “Fairy Tale” by Cica Ghost (3)

Build yourself your own picture and your own interpretation. Thank you Cica for another piece of art for Second Life.

Landmark to Fairy Tale
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Seth%20Island/212/49/40
Inara Pey’s blog post “Cica’s Fairy Tale in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/30/cicas-fairy-tale-in-second-life/
Cica’s shop in Second Life
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Appalachian/140/139/3502

Simploring 2017 (71) Art by Nature

06 Sep 2017 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , ,

Another time I went simploring following Inara’s footsteps in Second Life. Inspired by her blog entry “A return to the Art of Nature in Second Life“. I visited the exhibition “Art By Nature” of Ani (anibrm.jung).

Art by Nature is an exhibition presented by “Gallery Graine and Riverside Cafe”, which is owned by Graine Macbain. Again a place where artists get the opportunity to exhibit due to private iniative and sponsoring.

Impressions of the Exhibition “Art By Nature” by Anibrm Jung (1)

Anibrm Jung is a RL award-winning photographer for her sensitive and vibrant portraits of nature’s works of art. Using only natural light and her Nikon D60 digital camera she captures the intimate detail of the life bursting forth in her garden. Framing at the viewfinder, Ani uses no cropping or image manipulation, allowing us to see exactly as she sees and to feel the closemess to nature that is her joy. Ani, 42, is from the Netherlands and has been active in SL since December, 2006 as an artist and also performs as the lead singer for SL’s “Slave Girls Rock” band.
(taken from the information of the exhibition)

Impressions of the Exhibition “Art By Nature” by Anibrm Jung (2)

If you enjoy good photographs be it macro pictures of insects or blossoms or pictures of a pure nature landscapes or landmarks, then you’ll be exited by Ani’s art. It’s the selection of the right object, the right time to take a picture and the selected window that makes it art. I like her work!

Impressions of the Exhibition “Art By Nature” by Anibrm Jung (3), in the lower picture is Ani herself

I met Ani at her exhibition Art By Nature and we had a short chat. I asked her about a website for more information, she has none. Hence you have to visit her exhibition to see her work and to buy some of her Pictures. They are quite affordable at prices of around 500 to 600 L$.

I can just recommend a visit.

Landmark to Art By Nature
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue%20Curacao/44/34/23
Inara Pey’s blog entry “A return to the Art of Nature in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/25/a-return-to-the-art-of-nature-in-second-life/

Simploring 2017 (69) Another Long Journey

02 Sep 2017 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , ,

When I came across Inara Pey’s blog entry “A further Long Journey in Second Life“, the title already rang a bell. And yes, Inara as well as I visited “Long Journey” a couple of months ago in March 2017 (read here).

Long Journey – Overview

So what changed? First of all the landmark. Long Journey has moved to another sim. But Yang (sun2idea) did not just move, he further developed his small town that is packed on a sky platform of about 90 * 180 meters. Being in Long Journey you don’t realise that it is that small – and this small town offers a lot!
Compared to the old sim, Long Journey grew nonetheless. The canal, filled with houseboats that are used as restaurants or as event places, is now more in the West. The town is limited by a railraod for goods in the West, a big factory building in the North with a tall chimney, containers and shops in the South and houses, that are arranged in several levels and connected by stairs in the East.

Impressions of Long Journey (1)

As before, there’s a lot to discover. It is like a vacation day, you walk along bars, restaurants, the event center, cafe’s, a market. You see street art and find many places to sit and just hang around. Although there’s so much packed in this comparable small place, it doesn’t look articifial at all. It looks like a town that grew naturally with the tourism. And where is it? It could be somewhere in Asia, at least it has Asian influcences but for me it looks more like “Little China” in a town somewhere in America. At some edges it looks a bit down-at-heel, just like you would expect it in a district like Little China, other edges are full of life.

Impressions of Long Journey (2)

Yang rebuild Long Journey even better than the old one was already, a place to explore and to enjoy. He wrote about it “A small town for you to take pics, hangout and relax yourself in the beautiful landscape. Enjoy your journey, get the free gift, take the incredible photo.” Thank you Yang!

Landmark to Long Journey
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Guzel%20Ada/161/201/4005
Inara Pey’s blog entry “A further Long Journey in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/24/a-further-long-journey-in-second-life/

Simploring 2017 (68) Aly’s Fine Art Gallery & Jungle

25 Aug 2017 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , ,

Thursday, August 17th, I went simploring following Inara Pey’s blog post “Art in the wild in Second Life“. Aly’s Fine Art Gallery & Jungle is, no surprise, a sim owned by Aly (Alysheea) with a gallery showing Aly’s art and with a jungle. The sim was built by Prosperine2 and Hepburn30. In the landmark description it is described with the tags “fine art, sculptures, photographs. The sim contains: waterfalls, cliffs, caverns, caves, hidden discoveries, romance, relaxation, dancing, adventure, Buddha, elephants, nature, GREAT photo ops, ruins, beaches and more!“

The landing point is close to the gallery, that spreads over three open huts built on the beach. Aly’s art compromises moving 3D art (mobiles) and pictures of different styles from RL photography to fractal art, from black and white to SL snapshots and mixtures of all all styles. You can purchase the art here, most are just 99 L$.

After my visit to the gallery I began exploring the island. Aly’s wrote in her notecard:
Immerse your senses and enjoy!
Beauty surrounds you for relaxation and smiles
Take the time to view the art and the nature!
Search for hidden beauty along the way.
That pretty much describes the sim very well.

Impressions of Aly’s Fine Art Gallery & Jungle (2)

Aly’s Fine Art Gallery & Jungle‘s nature and the jungle are beautiful and colourful (did I mention already that I love colours?). It offers many places to sit and cuddle or to dance or to simply enjoy the view. I also tried out the tai chi animation on the top of a rock near the balloon. The big huge rock in the West covers a cave and tunnel system. The caves offer more places to wind down, to dance or simply to enjoy the colours and the peace.
I won’t describe the places and spots in detail here as my pictures tell more than a thousand words. I also discovered a cove with a “Moonphase Piano”, most probably better known as “Simon says” and I played a bit, still a nice game and a nice exercise for your memory.

I explored and discovered Aly’s Fine Art Gallery & Jungle for about an hour and I really enjoyed my visit and I took many pictures. A lovely sim! Thank you Aly for your art and in particular for providing your sim to the public.

Inara Pey’s blog post “Art in the wild in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/16/art-in-the-wild-in-second-life/
Landmark to Aly’s Fine Art Gallery & Jungle
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Amhas%20Wilds/70/111/22

Simploring 2017 (66) Split Screen LEA 15

20 Aug 2017 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I read Inara Pey’s post “A Split Screen double in Second Life”  in her blog and decided to visit this sim at LEA 15.

August 14th: Split Screen LEA 15

According to Inara LEA 15 is a temporary home for Dividni Shostakovich’s Split Screen. Split Screen Installation Space is a curated place for artists to develop large installations, often not possible in the physical world. At LEA 15 there’re two installations “EveryWhere and NoWhere” by JadeYu Fhang and “The Games We Play” by Krystali Rabeni. Both can be accessed via teleporters from the landing point and with teleporters from eachother.

Impressions of “EveryWhere and NoWhere” by JadeYuWell at Split Screen LEA 15 (1)

“EveryWhere and NoWhere” by JadeYu Fhang is the larger installation which spreads over several levels. Most of it is held in white and light blue giving the impression of being in a cold, maybe winterly world. There are ladders that connect the levels. They seemingly end into nothing, but from their end you fall on another (invisible) level to walk upon. The female statues look like altered dolls, some like modern interpretations of gods of the Greek mythology. Some statues hoover headlong, others seem to climb up a never ending staircase or elevator.

Impressions of “EveryWhere and NoWhere” by JadeYuWell at Split Screen LEA 15 (2)

It’s hard to interpret what you see and that might be intended. There’s no notecard or description for this installation nor did I find information about the artist JadeYu Fhang. And the title “EveryWhere and NoWhere”? This place is for sure not from our physical world, hence it is NoWhere and you find elements from EveryWhere.
Don’t mind, experience yourself!

“The Games We Play” by Krystali Rabeni is a comparably small installation, a game of chess but not on a flat board. The board has several levels and the chessmen are also moving up the vertical walls and the pawns are flying above the scenery. It looks busy. Again no information about this installaion nor about the artist.

Impressions of “The Games We Play” by Krystali Rabeni at Split Screen LEA 15

For another interpretation look at Inara Pey’s blog post. She added her thoughts. According to her Information LEA 15 will stay open until End of September 2017.

Both installations offer many opportunities for taking pictures and for experiencing 3D art in Second Life. Thank you Dividni Shostakovich for providing the space within LEA 15. Thank you JadeYu Fhang and Krystali Rabeni for the art. I enjoyed a lovely break in my Second Life exploring it.

Landmark to Split Screen LEA 15
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA15/138/128/551
Inara Pey’s blog “A Split Screen double in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/12/a-split-screen-double-in-second-life/

Simploring 2017 (64) Diomita in Sansar

14 Aug 2017 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , , ,

As I follow Inara Pey’s “Living in a Modemworld” blog, I also followed what is going on with Linden Lab’s most important project “Sansar”. In the beginning there were many rumors that Sansar might replace Second Life. Linden Lab always denied that and pointed out that Sansar is aimed to provide other virtual experiences. Inara had quite some blog entries about the progress of Sansar and it’s potential release date. Time flew by and now Sansar is avaible in a beta version. Inara tested it and provided the basics how to get started in her entry “Sansar: getting started – the basics” and also reported about her first expereinces in her entry “Sansar: a handful of personal picks to visit and some tips“

August 3rd – Diomita in Sansar visiting the Apollo museum

And I? I did try it myself :-). I created an account and made my first steps in this virtual world. I visited the Appollo Museum, a place called New World and 114 Harvest. The Apollo Museum is for sure very well made, it is edcuational and you can spend a lot of time there, as you’d do in RL. The 3D expierence is similar to Second Life, yet the movement of the avatar is more restricted and needs getting used to. The lighting with shadows of natural light and projectors is standard in Sansar and really good. As opposed to in Second Life you have to switch that on and I often have it off as it consumes a lot of ressources of my PC. I visited 2 other places: New World (an artful installation of bizarre trees, blue light and Buildings) and 114 Harvest. 114 Harvest looks like a street in a residential area somewhere in the US and I couldn’t get into the deeper sense of it. I could go in at least one house and walk around and see the cellar.

August 3rd – Diomita in Sansar visiting 114 Harvest and New World

I can see the difference between Sansar and Second Life. The graphics looks more natural – but to be honest at least at this phase of the project it is not that overwhelming compared to some sims that I visited in Second Life. Sansar might look very different using a head mounted display. The handling of Sansar for the user is a lot easier but I also miss a lot of features that we have in Second Life. It might be too early to judge about that.
I think Sansar really targets at other experiences as Second Life – it might be a nice addon to visit and to enjoy places like the Apollo museum.

Try out yourself. I will return to Sansar and have a look into it again.

Inara Pey’s blog post: “Sansar: getting started – the basics”
https://modemworld.me/2017/07/31/sansar-getting-started-the-basics/
Inara Pey’s blog post: “Sansar: a handful of personal picks to visit and some tips”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/02/sansar-a-handful-of-personal-picks-to-visit-and-some-tips/

P.S.: In the meanwhile Inara has published more blog posts about Sansar in which she also summarizes her impressions and experiences and shares her opinion and thoughts – both not that far from my own opinion and thoughts. Here are the links to her newer posts:

“Sansar Creator Beta: personal thoughts”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/08/sansar-creator-beta-personal-thoughts/
“Sansar basics: Atlas, Desktop mode movement, chat and friends”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/09/sansar-basics-atlas-desktop-mode-movement-chat-and-friends/
“Sansar Profile 6: In the halls of the dwarven king”
https://modemworld.me/2017/08/11/sansar-profile-6-in-the-halls-of-the-dwarven-king/

Simploring 2017 (61) Serena Imagine Arts Center

04 Aug 2017 2 Comments

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

For simploring Saturday, July 29th, I followed Inara Pey’s blog post “Picture of Oh in Second Life“. Bryn Oh is a well know artist in Second Life and has had already some very catching installations. I have visited some of them myself, for example Immersiva (read here). The exhibition Picture of Oh is in a skybox at Serena Imagine Arts Center and it is worth a visit. For a description you better read Inara Pey’s post – it is very detailed and I can’t add anything to it.

I never heard about Serena Imagine Arts Center before, so I had a look what else is there. The Arts Center is embedded in Wolves Land, a nice homestead sim that offers some places to dance, to relax or to wind down, just as it is described “Come, relax, have fun and meet friends in this wonderful wolf-friendly land. You will be welcome. Why not dance or just chill under a tree?“. Right now it hosts not just the exhibition “Picture of Oh” but also the exhibition “Talking Walls” by Lalie Sorbet and an exhibtion with pictures of Lin Carlucci, both artists in RL. Their paintings are shown open air in a park, another and different way to show paintings and some of them melt perfectly with the environment while others add strong colours to it.

Serena Imagine Arts Center is owned by Vita Theas, who owns the sim and has her clothes store “Just imagine” right next to the art center. Thus the sim has 3 functions: a peaceful retreat, a store and an art center. “Ciao, Wolves Land is opened for all to visit and my hope is that you’ll love it. There’s my store Just Imagine and the Arts Centre I’m taking care of since 2009. If you are an artist feel free to call me.”

I think that’s a really nice way to combine business, art and the beauty of Second Life. Thank you Vita for the idea and the support of arts!

Landmark to Serena Imagine Arts Center
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Serena%20Imagine/155/118/21
Landmark to the exhibition “Picture of Oh”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Serena%20Imagine/39/87/2002
Inara Pey’s blog post “Picture of Oh in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2017/07/27/picture-of-oh-in-second-life/

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